Russian Tea House
1758 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN, 55104
Russian Tea House Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Saint Paul for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Saint Paul for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Saint Paul for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1758 University Ave W
Saint Paul, MN, 55104 - Phone (651) 646-4144
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : No
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Brendan T.
I'm on a roll (no pun intended) recommending places with one exceptional food item worth the stop and here it's the piroshki, simple, comforting and delicious. I want to especially help out the joints suffering during the light rail construction.
(5)Marguerite S.
GOOD heavens, I cannot stop eating here. Had the Russian potato salad and more dumplings for lunch, but this time in chicken broth, (basically dumpling soup with dill YUMMM). Nothing could be quite better for weather like this than warm soup. I might just have to buy some frozen ones (they sell them 50 for $9) so I can make them at all hours.
(5)Ashley F.
I went to high school across the street from the place, and there is nothing like it anywhere...at least not in the Twin Cities. The owners (a couple) are super friendly. And the food is, well, absolutely awesome. Five stars on a Friday. You must go on a Friday, and you must order the Beef Stroganoff with Potato pirogies. It's the only day they serve it. Also, bring a friend, because the Chocolate Babka roll is too big for any decent human to eat alone, and too delicious to skip all together.
(4)Linn D.
Aaaabsolutely fantastic. I've never been to Russia, but if there's food like this, I want to go. The couple who owns/runs the place is friendly, and they have entirely reasonable prices -- $5.60, I think, for a pint and a half of the most friggin' amazing beef stroganoff you've ever had (only available on Fridays); $2.80 for a 1/2 pint of potato/beet/pickle salad; $1.90 or so for four Russian tea cakes. They have limited hours right now because of the construction on University Ave. As of my last check in Dec. 2011, they're only open on Fridays for lunch. Back when I first visited them in July, they had lunch hours Tu-F, and they would stay open till 5pm on Fridays (dunno if that's still the case). After 3:30, though, they'd turn off the heat and serve food cold. "People like to pick up something cold to eat over the weekend," said the person I talked to. Go figure. Though if I lived close by, I'd pick some up on Fridays in a heartbeat. They take Visa/Mastercard, BTW. Oh, and ... if this weren't the perfect lunch place already, there's live accordion music sometimes. Seriously.
(5)Elise S.
My mother and I decided to take a trip down memory lane yesterday and made the pilgrimage to the Russian Tea House. See, when I was growing up she worked not too far from this landmark and would frequently buy a couple extra piroshkis for quick dinners or extra-special lunches. There was a long, long time where they were closed - we had no idea if they would ever re-open. Lo and behold about five years ago, they opened their doors with the same, familiar Russian postcards and Russian Coca Cola advertisement. The menu is, admittedly, limited. But think of it as a strength! With so few dishes, they are consistently delicious and well executed. For one's first visit, a piroshki (touted as a "Russian hamburger", it's finely ground beef with rice in a expertly-baked bread shell) is an absolute must-have. It's what they're known for and it's a meal unto itself. I have a certain love for their borscht (let it be noted that purists like myself don't think beans are part of the borscht canon), particularly with a healthy dollop of sour cream. They also offer the vinegret salad (sometimes known as Salad Olivier, a staple in Russian cuisine), as well as a small selection of desserts. I noticed on my last visit that they are now offering a rotating selection of different entrees - most notably vareniki (potato-stuffed dumplings), beef stroganoff (served over the vareniki), and pelmeni. I bought a frozen bag of pelmeni and they look incredible! Also on this last visit: a live accordion and domra duet playing folk songs - a very nice touch! In an area that has a dearth of Russian dining, this stands out to me as being honest and simple, particularly compared to the menus at Moscow on the Hill and St. Petersburg. They have very limited hours - 11-3 Tuesday through Friday, but the trip is well worth it.
(5)Michael M.
The couple running the place were very friendly, and the food was very good - the Stroganoff, the Piroshki, and the chocolate roll. There was also live music playing when we arrived - hopefully you like the accordion! On the downside, the seating area was a bit small (as were the portions of the delicious food). You pay for and pick up your food at the downstairs window, then head upstairs to eat. The upstairs room seems like it will seat about 40 people, comfortably. Well worth the trip over those potholes, but drive carefully!
(3)Zachary S.
Very glad that we were able to stop in our our mini staycation. We ordered one of everything on the menu (which is great to say to the owner: I'll take one of everything) but remember that the menu is quite small. Mike ordered the last russian burger, so when I ordered she said they would make more and bring it up to us, which she did. We didn't eat because we were too full from the borcht, potato salad, and two orders of dumplings (plus some nice warm black tea w/honey) but we at it the next day. It is wicked good. It is really a bun stuffed with ground beef and onions and rice. Very warming and filling. You can order them in a frozen 6 pack, which we should have done. Way better than Moscow on the Hill, whose "burger" seems to be made of white bread, and sticks to your teeth. If Moscow were smart, they would cut the kitchen and let the Tea House make their food. I would be in every damn week then. As it is, I am not sure when we will be back cuz of the hours, which makes me cry a little bit inside. Almost like somebody kicked my dog. I don't have a dog, but you know what I mean. Oh. The russian tea cakes go great with the previously mentioned tea. Sit by the fireplace on a cold day. My only complaints are the hours and the styrofoam dishes and plastic spoons. Otherwise five stars.
(4)C M.
What a treat. Something new and interesting from old time-worn traditional dishes. Try the chocolate poppyseed roll for desert, but split it. There is no way one could finish that and be happy with themselves afterward. Unless that is what you are into.
(5)Andrew G.
Delicious food great little place. Piroshki, borscht, varenyki, and chocolate poppyseed rolls yum.
(5)Anya S.
They are good good good!!! I am Russian, Im credible as I know what is Russian food and how it should taste. Their borscht is as good as my grandmas (well almost, noone can compete with my grandma). I recommend the beef stroganoff. There is music, the customer service a better then all of the other Russian places, so thus 5 stars. Their hours change at times, so make sure you are up do date with their latest schedule changes.
(5)Wanda M.
I have wanted to have lunch at this place for years. It took me so long to get here as they are only open four days a week for just a few hours. Pretty smart of them. So I took a day off from work to try it out. The dining room is in the attic which is not all that bad because they are brilliant have a Dumb waiter! The Hamburgers are really good. Dumplings in broth were so tasty Dumplings with vinaigrette and mustard were not too bad either. They have daily specials and they day I was here, they did not have the stroganoff. So it looks like I will be taking another day off.
(4)Risha L.
Finally got over to Russian Tea House, and I am so sorry I didn't come here sooner. It is worth the trip if you are coming from Minneapolis, and exemplifies a rare kind of establishment that specializes in only a few perfectly executed dishes and offers them for cheap! The $1 cup of either hot or cold tea is bottomless and delicious. Upstairs from the kitchen, which has been run by a friendly husband and wife team for over 35 years, there is a small seating area with beautiful windows that you can sit by all day! I had the borscht, butter cookies, and chocolate roll and they were all excellent. I wish I had been able to try the beef strogonoff, but had just eaten breakfast and wasn't in the mood for a double double. I hope this restaurant continues to see good days. There is a lot of pride behind the food and it shows in the quality.
(5)Mark W.
Lunching with friends. We had everything on the menu. Enjoyed the borscht, pelmeni, and live accordian playing. Good place to hang upstairs with friends!
(4)Breanne P.
I wanted to love this place but unfortunately my boyfriend and I had an awful experience. We were delighted one Friday when we realized we had the free time to check this place out. The restaurant is in a big house, where you order, pay, and receive your food on the first floor and dine upstairs. It had a warm, cozy feeling that I imagine would be quite nice in the winter, not that I will get to experience that. The menu is cheap and small, about eight items. Cheap enough that if you have two or three people you could sample everything. My first disappointment came when I noticed the food coming out on paper plates--really!? Can't you pay someone forty bucks for the mere four hours you are open a week to wash the dishes? Furthermore, there wasn't an option to recycle the paper plates. Tacky and wasteful. I wasn't going to that stop me from enjoying my food, however, so we headed to the upstairs to eat. The room was big and brightly lit by the many open windows and there was some live music being performed by a single man on an accordion. Being young and eager to share our experiences with our friends, my boyfriend decided to take a a short snapchat video of our food and the atmosphere. When the video begin to automatically play back after recording, the curmudgeon musician yelled across the room, "are you recording me?" He then went on to accuse us of stealing from him. Everyone in the room went silent and stared at us. Since he was still yelling at us from across the room, we did not get a chance to explain that no, we were not recording him specifically, just the food and atmosphere of the room and he happened to be playing music in the background. For Snapchat. A five second video clip to be seen by all of three people. How could he honestly think that we were recording him so that we could listen to his music later or to make a profit? Still, I understand that as a musician he must be quite sensitive to these things. That does not mean he needs to yell across the room. It would have been much more professional, and polite, to come talk to us privately. Perhaps then we could have explained our intentions, though from this interaction I doubt he would have listened to us, probably just scoffed and waved us off for being greedy millennials. My boyfriend, who does not like to cause problems, even gave him a dollar and he still gave us a bad attitude. On top of this, the food was solidly mediocre. The best part was the tea. If I had not been accosted I would have maybe returned for tea and cookies but I do not wish to see that man ever again.
(2)Roman S.
Excellent standards, inexpensive too, absolutely solid. We sampled about everything, you won't go wrong, the atmosphere is homey, down to earth. Check opening hours before trekking out though. When it's winter in Minneapolis, consider smuggling in a 500ml bottle of clear you know what to share with friends while feasting. The soups will be even better in that season.
(4)Xinzhu A.
I happened to be near the area and saw the Russian tea house. I have never tried Russian food before, I was wondering how good this place is. The review on yelp seemed to be pretty high therefore I Yooo my advantage and went in and ordered the recommended beef stroganoff (happens to be Friday too). The couples are super friendly and the taste of beef stroganoff was fantastic. I was surprised and pleased to find the potato filling inside the dumpling. The torte and tea cake were also great, especially eating while sipping in the hot tea. great place to stop by if you happen to be around!
(5)Adam D.
Unique food at a unique location. This is a place I feel you either love or it's just not for you. This restaurant is in a converted two story house. Order food on the main level and your the selection is pretty scarce. However I love the stroganoff, but only is available on Fridays. The food is given on a tray and you eat upstairs. Overall the food is home style and good.
(4)Amir S.
One thing you should have in mind if you decide to try Russian Tea House is that the atmosphere is better than the food stuff. I'm not saying that their food is not good. It surely is. It's really good and more importantly inexpensive.But what may get me to go there in spite of the construction along University Ave is the ambiance. Russian Tea House is a cute two-level family-run restaurant that offers a small number of Russian food and dessert. It is only open for lunch for limited hours from Tuesday through Friday. There is no waiting service and food is served from food warmers on disposable plates. If you choose to dine in, you should get your tray upstairs and have your food in a dining space overlooking University Ave while listening to live accordion music. Friday is Beef Stroganoff day. But you may want to know that what they cook is actually "Ground" Beef Stroganoff which is a less popular variation of the meal. Also, they serve it over dumplings and it doesn't come with fries (which is usually the most common way of serving Beef Stroganoff). The Borscht is tasty and Varenyky dumplings are really good with sweet slightly fried onions and sour cream. But their Piroshki didn't impress me at all. I didn't like the tasteless thick dough used for Piroshki. Finally, for dessert, although their warm Chocolate Puppyseed Roll is quite famous, I preferred Russian Tea Cakes. The crisp cakes are marvelous with tea after lunch.
(4)Patti K.
We stopped by when it happened to be open, and were very pleased with our experience. It was like what I imagine a visit to a Russian friend's house might be like. The people were as charming, grandparently, and Minnesota nice as one could hope to meet. The food was both inexpensive and delicious. We had beef stroganoff, pelmeni with mustard, a chocolate roll, and Russian tea. The dining room occupies the second floor, and looked like a charming gathering place for an ethnic community. The lively accordion music accentuated the Old World feel. As we savored our food, feeling the breeze from the cool summer rain, and gazing down at the parking lot and a fast food restaurant below, we felt happy that our lunch was just a dollar or so more than a fast food lunch, but so much more healthy and tasty. Update: We were delighted to find this place was open when we happened to be passing by. They updated the place a bit by having the tea as self-serve in the dining area, but it still felt the same--homey and bright. This winter they made chocolate truffles, which were melt-in-your-mouth heavenly. We tried coffee liqueur and pepper vodka. The pepper vodka truffle has a real kick--watch out! But my somewhat spice-averse husband liked that one better. I'd love to go back on a regular basis. The one downside is that they're open only for lunch Tuesday-Friday, and currently they seem to be open only on Friday (summer hours?). We need more places like this.
(4)Kathleen K.
One of my favorite dives and I mean that in the best possible way. It is a small building (with free parking) and you order at the counter when you walk in. Then take your food up a flight of stairs and sit down or they offer takeout. FYI - this is not handicapped accessible as they have been here for years. They accept VI and MC with a small fee but bring cash - it's cheap! My recommendation is to go on a Friday with a friend and order the Beef Stroganoff over Potato Vareniki (pierogi-like). Also order a Piroshki (meat filled bread) to split. They have Coke or Ginger Ale (or tea) and that meal for two with tax is about $18. The full menu is on their facebook page under photos. The Pel'meni (Siberian dumplings with broth and sour cream) are great and nice on a freezing day like today. Russian tea cakes and a chocolate poppyseed roll for dessert. Mmmmmm. Plus borscht and other items. Bring some Piroshki home for the freezer as they reheat well. A diverse group of people come here. Last week I chatted with a student from Serbia. The line moves pretty quick. The owners are friendly and great, they genuinely are happy you are here. My only complaint is their hours - Tu - F, lunch only. However, they may start opening on Saturdays this fall. Please tell them you are interested!!!!
(5)Elena A.
This place is like no other restaurant I've ever been to. Located in a private two-story house, they serve the best Russian borscht I've ever had. We stopped by on Friday at around 1 and this place was packed. Waited about 20 min at the order counter and then took food upstairs to the dining room. If you want some delicious comfort food and don't care about ambiance, this is the right spot! We tried borscht (a vegetarian beet soup served with sour cream), vinaigrette (pickled beets and potatoes salad, kinda similar to American potato salad, but without mayo), vareniki (potato pierogies) and Beef Stroganoff. I also ordered a bunch of food to take home. All of that for less than $25. Everything was delicious. Also, very friendly owners!
(5)Mel S.
The Russian Tea House is like no other restaurant you've ever been to. It's located in a big old house on University Ave, across the parking lot from a Wendy's (which is convenient for parking. There didn't seem to be any signs that said Wendy's Only). If it seems out of place that's because it is, but only in the sense that it has more historical claim to that space than almost anything else. When you step inside there's just enough room for a few people to stand and order at a small counter, behind which is a large spacious kitchen area. The menu consists of just a few traditional Russian items: but note that some of the dishes, like the pelmeni, can be ordered in a variety of ways. I had a piroshki ($4.20) and a bowl of borscht with sour cream ($2.80 and apparently $0.25 for the sour cream). Both were delicious and heavy, just like Russian food should be. Truly home-cooked food. The food is mostly pre-cooked, so it was ready to go by the time my credit card had been run. NOTE: They accept Mastercard and Visa, but there is a $0.50 charge for cards, which I think is fair since this seems like a place that should be cash only. I felt kind of guilty defiling the antique feeling with my credit card. The coolest part about this place is that its homey feel does not stop at the home-cooked food. If you decide to eat in (you should!) you take your food on a tray upstairs to a big room filled with tables. It feels like eating in your grandma's attic. There is Russian artwork for sale on the walls, and just a general old-country layer-of-dust feeling in every molecule of the room. It's so perfect in every way. It's an experience that takes you far away from University Ave. Unless of you course you look out the window at the beautiful view of Wendy's. My friend made a great point as we watched the lunch crowd attack Wendy's: If you worked around here, why would you go to Wendy's for a burger when you can get a piroshki for around the same price and just as quick? Why, indeed?
(4)Dan S.
I never thought I'd be able to eat here. They are only open from something like Tuesday through Friday, 11-3 p.m. I'm generally working at that time and nowhere near the Midway. But finally, I was in the neighborhood last Wednesday for a meeting and able to stop in. The menu is pretty limited. 4-5 options, dumplings, Russian burgers, stroganof, etc. The Beef Stroganof is only available on Fridays. I was with a friend and we couldn't decide what to eat, so we ordered nearly everything on the menu. It came to $17, with drinks. You order downstairs and walk up an old wooden staircase to the dining room upstairs. The place has been around forever, so they were grandfathered in to the ADA requirements. There is some interesting Russian Art on the wall. Overall, you feel like you are eating at your Russian Grandma's house. Everything came with a huge dollop of sour cream. Everything was hearty, lots of cabbage and dill. The food wasn't my favorite but it was a solid good. It was stick to your bones filling, interesting and different. There aren't many places where you can sample this type of food and it is 10 times cheaper than Moscow on the Hill. (no booze though) Although the bread on the Russian burger was great. Note to Ashley: You finally beat me to one.
(4)Rhonda G.
Word has it it might be easier to get here than Wendy's, because of the construction. With all the fast food around this could be McPiroshi, only faster and cheaper, and definitely more sustainable. You won't need more of something 2 hours later because of a lack of nutrition. I don't get here often, mainly because I love their stroganoff and it's only served on Friday which is a non meat day for Orthodox Christians. From my experience no 2 Russians make any of the food they serve the same, and I do love their version of everything. My favorite is the vinegrette salad, and borscht. They got on board the health trend a long time ago and bake the piroshi, which is a switch because most Russian's fry it. I can't wait til the Friday after Easter and get me some stroganoff.
(4)